The world of work is transforming rapidly. Driven by innovation in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), surveillance, automation and robotics, tech-enabled workforce practices promise to make our working lives easier, safer and less costly, but their deployment and development also pose major threats to the rights of billions of workers worldwide.
Increasing use of surveillance and AI technologies in the workplace – often introduced as advancements to make work more efficient, productive and profitable – is reinforcing conditions that exploit and place excessive pressure on workers. Algorithmic decision-making fundamentally alters traditional models of labour relations. Hiring and firing, wage-setting models and working hours are determined by opaque software that widens power asymmetries by removing employer accountability at a cost to workers. Industries powered by misclassified workers limit and remove labour protections.
Even the development of the technologies transforming workplaces relies on people’s labour powering an unregulated “extraction machine” – outsourced, temporary or otherwise precariously employed workers toiling to moderate social media content or train AI models for their own replacement.
The benefits of digital transformations in the world of work are vast, but technologies should not be weaponised against the very workers who are so central to their development. Trade unions increasingly identify intrusive applications as key features of this new world of work and their warnings should serve as a wake-up call for business. Employers should take a critical look at how prolific use of AI, electronic surveillance or algorithms to outsource decision-making in their operations and supply chains may be exposing workers to extreme rights risks. They must be transparent about where and how they’re using these technologies, ensure oversight by human decision-makers and ban intrusive practices.Áine Clarke - Head of Labour Rights, Business and Human Rights Centre
Use this page to explore the latest news and insights on the evolving impact of technology on the world of work: from labour rights risks emerging from a largely unregulated and profit-driven industry, to advances in rights-respecting business practices that shape a fairer future of work.
AI is no longer a distant prospect, it is already transforming industrial sectors through automation, robotics and data-driven management systems. This new policy paper is both a warning and a guide: a resource to help unions navigate the risks and harness the opportunities of AI while protecting workers’ rights, dignity and jobs.Kan Matsuzaki, IndustriALL assistant general secretary